Yoga and Pregnancy

According to a blog post on the Los Angeles times, there is at least one yoga program being preached and sold to those who want to use the practice to help them become pregnant. According to the post, a study presented at an October meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine showed that patients in a stress reduction program are more likely to conceive.

But regardless of the effects of yoga on fertility, yoga seems to be a benefit for women before, during and after delivery. A study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that women who practiced an hour of yoga daily for 18 to 20 weeks during a pregnancy experienced a significant decrease in preterm labor and pregnancy-induced high blood pressure compared with a control group. The yoga group also delivered babies that weighed more.

Yoga can also help with the stresses and pains of pregnancy both before and after birth, according to an article in the Montreal Gazette. Dr. Jacques Moritz, who was quoted in the article, said yoga can help with the back pain that is frequently associated with pregnancy, and strengthens the core muscles and the pelvic diaphragm, which can be especially useful during a pregnancy.

Moritz also warned that women should wait six to eight weeks after giving birth to resume a yoga practice. If you go to a class, make sure to tell the instructor if you are pregnant so he or she can adjust positions accordingly. You shouldn’t lie on your belly or perform twists while pregnant, according to the article.

Yoga instructor and veteran Chris teaches yoga to veterans in the Washington, DC/Arlington, VA area through Yoga Legion. I have a student who came to a class for the first time and then began practicing regularly. Observing his focus and skill develop over time has been so cool. One particular class he brought his […]

When you find an innovative way to bring spiritual and mental strength to individuals suffering from terminally ill diseases, share it! That’s what Ginny Miller, also known to her students by her Sanskrit name Rukmini, learned through her years of teaching yoga to cancer patients. A previous instructor at Gilda’s Club working with individuals suffering […]